[Stroke in sub-Saharan Africa]

Abstract

Stroke is the second cause of mortality worldwide and 87% of deaths are recorded in developing countries. Due to biases in most studies, the prevalence and incidence of stroke in sub-Saharan Africa remains unclear. In comparison with industrialized countries, sub-Saharan countries present several differences, i.e., higher mortality rate, younger age at onset, and hypertension as the main risk factor for stroke. Conversely the distribution of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke in developing countries appears to be the same as in industrialized countries. Without appropriate public health policies, the coming years are likely to witness an epidemic of non-communicable diseases in sub-Saharan Africa and stroke will probably become the second most common cause of morbidity and mortality.